Vancouver(ish) Tribe: September's here and there's a nip in the air - Page 5

[~~Amanda~~]

The weather IS gorgeous today!

Red tomatoes...in vancouver? Maybe...juuust maybe. Mine are orange. :P C'mon RED!

TY for the "welcomes".

[Piglet68]

I sadly lost my very first tomato crop last month to blight. I was astounded at how vigorously the plants grew, and how many tomatos I had. I only got to sample a handful before they died but it was enough to motivate me to try again next year (and this time put them somewhere I can cover them when it rains for a week!).

beckajayne welcome! my mother's family live in Auckland and I visited NZ many times when I was growing up. My cousin is a teacher there.

Welcome to you too, ~~Amanda!

Emily's LC came for a visit today and they sketched out a learning plan. It was so interesting seeing what they came up with! This year I have to log 25 hours per week which is double last year's time, which means I have to be extra diligent about jotting down the stuff we are doing each day (or that she does when she is playing/reading etc by herself). We don't have much in the way of scheduled activities but with DS starting preschool this week I'm hoping to use that time to sit down and do specific activities with DD at home. She is getting to be a real joy to learn with as she is interested in so many of the same things I am and I get to learn right along with her!

Otherwise I've been immersing myself in the world of TOWING vehicles! We rescued our trailer with my Dad's old Ford Bronco and while it towed the trailer OK it was very slow uphill. Since we travel over the Coquihalla on most trips we need something more powerful! Personally I want an SUV for the extra seating and comfort factor, but there don't seem to be many reliable choices out there. Otherwise we're looking at an F-150 (especially after admiring your new one, sea island mama!) but since we'll be trading in our vehicle this truck will also be our "get around town" vehicle and it is pretty darned big!! If anybody has any experience with towing, etc I'd welcome your input!!

[widemouthedfrog]

piglet, you can always grow your tomatoes in containers that hang, with holes cut into the bottom side parts of the container so that the tomatoes can grow out of the holes. That way, when you water them all of the water goes down to the tomatoes. And I believe that the blight comes from water splashing the soil up to the tomato plant - so if you hang them this way, they should hang down from the planter into the air and no soil will splash on them.

Ok, that would be easier with a picture!

as for the towing...I don't know how often you're planning to use the trailer, but could you rent a large vehicle for road trips with the trailer and use a little vehicle for getting around town? That was one plan that dh and I had cooked up when we wanted to do lots of backwoods stuff but we didn't want to drive around locally with a large vehicle.

Dd starts preschool tomorrow. Wish us luck! Or something!

[kdtmom2be]

Originally Posted by Piglet68

Otherwise I've been immersing myself in the world of TOWING vehicles! We rescued our trailer with my Dad's old Ford Bronco and while it towed the trailer OK it was very slow uphill. Since we travel over the Coquihalla on most trips we need something more powerful! Personally I want an SUV for the extra seating and comfort factor, but there don't seem to be many reliable choices out there. Otherwise we're looking at an F-150 (especially after admiring your new one, sea island mama!) but since we'll be trading in our vehicle this truck will also be our "get around town" vehicle and it is pretty darned big!! If anybody has any experience with towing, etc I'd welcome your input!!

We have a Ford Excursion. We couldn't ask for anything more in terms or usefulness. It's roomy, powerful, and while it is a bit of a pig on fuel, it's really not much worse than our minivan and it's a diesel so it burns cleaner, is easier to maintain and the engines tend to last longer. There happens to be one for sale at Dam's Ford Lincoln in Surrey right now (not sure if it is a diesel though, but I think DH said it was). The excursion has the same towing capacity of the F350 and I don't think I'd want to tow our trailer with my brother's F150. It's 6000lbs +-. Oh, and once you get used to driving the thing, it's not so bad for getting around town. I can back it into just about anywhere (nose first is another matter!). The thing I like most is that it fits us, all the kids with room for more, the dog AND some luggage inside (or a cooler fits perfectly right between the seats).

[Autumn Mama]

Originally Posted by Piglet68

I sadly lost my very first tomato crop last month to blight. I was astounded at how vigorously the plants grew, and how many tomatos I had. I only got to sample a handful before they died but it was enough to motivate me to try again next year (and this time put them somewhere I can cover them when it rains for a week!).

Ahhh, so sad to lose them! That happened to us the year before last. We currently have 15 plants, bursting with small green tomatoes. I slacked off on applying any organic bloom-booster type fertilizer, and with the lack of sun, they are lovely and ...still quite green. Even our heritage "Green Zebra" are indeed...green. They hopefully will turn orange with green stripes. I'm a little worried about the crop, but hope to eat a few this week, as some others are coloring up. My kids eat them yellow-to-orange, and swear they "are the best ever!!!"

Our landowner, who has farmed here since his late teens, says that this is the worst year he has *ever* seen. With one of the coolest Springs, and then right into a cold June, just messed everything right up.

Originally Posted by widemouthedfrog

piglet, you can always grow your tomatoes in containers that hang, with holes cut into the bottom side parts of the container so that the tomatoes can grow out of the holes. That way, when you water them all of the water goes down to the tomatoes. And I believe that the blight comes from water splashing the soil up to the tomato plant - so if you hang them this way, they should hang down from the planter into the air and no soil will splash on them.

Ok, that would be easier with a picture!

Like this?

[Autumn Mama]

Originally Posted by widemouthedfrog

Dd starts preschool tomorrow. Wish us luck! Or something!

Good luck and 'somethings' headed your way!!!

I think that once the initial first weeks pass, and everyone gets to know one another better, you (and your DD) will feel right at home there! I fondly remember our group of parents, moms and dads, and we all enjoyed the kids, the contribution to the preschool, and the time hanging out is something I still miss today. My DH did the duty days because DS2 was a week old when preschool started, and the extra dad presence was really appreciated by the kids and parents. He loved being there too, and was awesome with the kids! We were all really diverse, but somehow after awhile, we all supported the common goal and connected really well. They were the sweetest times. DS1 still occasionally mentions his teachers or a parent/child and wonders how they are. I stay in touch with one of his teachers still.

piglet wishing you joyful days ahead with preschool, too! Sounds like the time will be nice to focus one-on-one with DD1. I wish that I had that right now for DS1, it would probably benefit all of us! He is wanting to move ahead in some areas, and we are held back by a newly free-thinking three year old, who doesn't want to be left behind, but who at this stage, is high on motivation, and not so high in capability yet. There are many interuptions or complete destruction of what DS1 wants to make. He gets frustrated, yells at or pushes DS2 away, who melts into tears, and then I'm not helpful to anyone, as I try to regroup everyone again. Then, lather, rinse repeat, throughout the morning. Acckkk!!!

How did it get to be sooo late?? :yawning: G'night all!

[vancouverlori]

cool tomato planting idea... maybe I can use that. My little "garden" (a 5 square foot planter box) did well with Kale and Chard, so I'll definitely do those again. But tomatoes... mmm.

Emily will be reading some of her writing at the Kids Tent at Word on the Street Festival, Sept. 28. She was one of the participants in the Canadian Book Camp, and she had a blast there and is looking forward to participating in this. Makes me wonder about this anxiety thing... : Selective anxiety???

[artparent]

hello from jetlaggy england, no it is NOT tomato-ripening weather. we got most of our cherry ones last week, and plums too before a young bear ate the rest. plans for days in norway in the works, anyone experienced? :yawning upside down days as yet we are aligned with youse

x
unschooling


*

[tooticky]

Norway:

Artparent... I still think about a place I went to in Oslo. It's called the Vigeland Sculpture Park. Amazing spot! It's fanciful enough that I think a whole family would find it enjoyable.

Tomatoes:
I grew an assortment of tomatoes this year, some heirloom, some "regular". So far I have had the best luck with the cherry tomatoes and one called "Early Girl" (which I thought would do well here in Vancouver ). I am lucky to have grown them under the eaves of our house, so they don't actually get rained on. My Roma's did get blossom-end rot, though....

I've just done some fall plantings of arugula, spinach, lettuce and am crossing my fingers that we'll get enough sunny days to get them going!

[artparent]

thanks dear! pm me if you think of anything else. food, museums...

*

[kdtmom2be]

Anyone want any babies? I'm about to split up my other pot of this type of plant and I have several babies to give away. They have beautiful flowers (sorry no pics at present) but only bloom once a year or so (one flower per plant). And if anyone can ID it for me that would be great too!

PM me if you'd like one! I have FOUR to give away.

[widemouthedfrog]

Originally Posted by Autumn Mama

Like this?

Yes! Thanks.

First day of preschool went better than expected. All of the kids were nervous during circle time, but once dd went upstairs she got really engaged in play. She was ok with me leaving after 20 minutes, so I sat downstairs for the next 25 (the first day is only 45 minutes).

Autumn, thanks for the thought about very capable three-year-olds whose expectations exceed abilities. That's who I have right now, and it means a lot of tears. Especially when her verbal skills are really, really good but her emotional self is really quite three.

I ended up halfway bailing on some shopping today, due to a tantrum ... and heard a few "tsks". Strangely enough, once I said to those looking on that "It is hard not to get what you want," people looked a lot more understanding. I'm going to use my non-duty days at the preschool to shop...I find it rather trying to shop with a little one. Not to mention five times as long!

[flowmom]

Haven't read any posts yet .

Me:

We just got back from a few days in Hornby. It was beautiful and nice, and we enjoyed the beaches and neat spots there as usual. We tried Bradsdadsland, a different campground that had great sunsets. Dh and I are really tired of being the entertainment committee though . There were almost no other children around and it was startling how little independent play our children engaged in -- even at the beach, the campground playground, etc., etc. I think we need to figure out something different next year. I love my kids and I really enjoy sharing those experiences with them. But being an introvert, I don't find it relaxing to be interacting with my kids for their every waking moment. Or feeling guilty that I'm "stealing" some time to read a book while dh is looking after the kids.

Things are not going well with dd's teeth and nightweaning, and that's a big preoccupation right now .

I'm also really stressed about our fall schedule.

I still don't know which New West DL primary program timeslot ds is in and I just found out that his "teacher" is not the one who we met with and liked . I'm having major cold feet about the program. We don't need a teacher -- that's why we're homeschooling! Now they want to have a 2 hour meeting to develop the learning plan. Who is going to look after my children while I chat for 2 hours? Dh and I agreed to try this but frankly I think I'd be pulling out right now because the program has been really lame about providing us with any information of any kind (e.g. didn't even confirm that our child was registered, etc.). Maybe I expect too much, but they are getting $5000 for my kid, right?

And I'm thinking, why should I give up Hula Hoot, which ds consistently looks forward to, so that he can go to the New West DL program? What can their program really offer him that Hula Hoot wouldn't? I was hoping that the programs wouldn't conflict, but they do.

I feel sad for my kids because they are desperate to play with the neighbour children, who are very very busy now that it's fall.

I have consulting projects on the go, which add a major layer to all of this (negotiating child care with dh, working late at night, etc.).

Sorry to be a bummer. It's a beautiful day, but I'm having trouble letting go of summer. Everything feels really unsettled.

[Ellp]

Originally Posted by tooticky

Artparent... I still think about a place I went to in Oslo. It's called the Vigeland Sculpture Park. Amazing spot! It's fanciful enough that I think a whole family would find it enjoyable.

HEY!!! I've been there! Beautiful fanciful place! There's one large center pillar though thats a bit creepy...

Sooo... Does anyone know anything about running a community kitchen? Tips?

A couple of friends and I are tentetively talking about getting together once a week at one of our houses and cooking up a storm enough to last each of us a week's worth of dinners. One does baking/treats, the other mains, and the 3rd watches the kids, 5 in total from ages 2mo to 3.5 years.

It would help all of us save money and brain cells trying to figure out whats for dinner each and every night of the week.

I'm trying to think it through and the hard parts are how to divy up the shopping and finances. I'm thinking that we could rotate kitchens so that no one person gets stuck cleaning their place on a consistant basis.

Any tips?

Also, would anyone here be interested in something like this?
Here's what I'm talking about:
http://www.wrha.mb.ca/healthinfo/pro...utrition_3.pdf

[robugmum]

Hugs and support to you Ksenia, I don't really have any advice though.

I just got back from Ottawa. I took ds for 5 days to stay with a childhood friend of mine. It was so much fun to hang out with my big kid! We saw all the main attractions in "Bytown". I now know more about Ottawa's history and development than I do about Vancouver's!

After all that tomato canning (I pulled the last jar out of the canner at around 11pm the night before I left for Ottawa), I come home to a plum and pear tree full to bursting with ripe fruit! I think I might try to make plum dipping sauce with some of it.:

The Community Kitchen idea sounds fun

[dawncayden]

I've discussed with friends 'community cleaning party'

3 mamas, 3 kids, 3 houses. One week we are at my house and 2 of us are doing a deep clean and the other mama is watching the kiddos, then the next week we do a deep clean at someone elses house.

I like the idea of the cooking. I guess it would have to be the same 5 meals, right? I mean, you can't have 15 meals that would be a lot harder.
So I guess the trick is agreeing on meal plans and the way you make them.

Ideas for meals:
Ratatoulle (sp?)
Shepards pie
Chicken Pot Pie
Hearty Stew
Lasagna

I'm not sure about the baked goods...pie?

[kdtmom2be]

Ellaine, that's a great idea! I've heard of people doing this before but not sure if they have been able to stick to it long term? I'd be very interested in this but would not be interested in baking/treats just because we try really hard not to eat those things in our house. (It might work to just do mains anyways, if two people are working on it you probably need one to prep and one to cook anyways.)

[tooticky]

Community kitchen...

Some of our neighbours, I think it's three households, alternate nights to cook dinners. They all go to the house and eat together.

It sounds like fun, and nice that for a couple of nights per week you are "off the hook"!

Good idea for the cleaning parties too, Dawn. Are the kids going to be looked after in the house that's being cleaned?

[sea island mama]

Originally Posted by Ksenia

Things are not going well with dd's teeth and nightweaning, and that's a big preoccupation right now .

Sorry to hear that

I'm also really stressed about our fall schedule.

I still don't know which New West DL primary program timeslot ds is in and I just found out that his "teacher" is not the one who we met with and liked . I'm having major cold feet about the program. We don't need a teacher -- that's why we're homeschooling! Now they want to have a 2 hour meeting to develop the learning plan. Who is going to look after my children while I chat for 2 hours? Dh and I agreed to try this but frankly I think I'd be pulling out right now because the program has been really lame about providing us with any information of any kind (e.g. didn't even confirm that our child was registered, etc.). Maybe I expect too much, but they are getting $5000 for my kid, right?

And I'm thinking, why should I give up Hula Hoot, which ds consistently looks forward to, so that he can go to the New West DL program? What can their program really offer him that Hula Hoot wouldn't? I was hoping that the programs wouldn't conflict, but they do.

WARNING TO OTHERS: Detailed feedback on NWHL, left here for those interested.

Sorry to hear this is stressing you out so much!
We are enrolled in New West as well & while I still don't know how it's going to work out, I'm just trusting that it will.

We had our meeting with our 'teacher', Greg, today. He suggested two hours for both & we were only there for just over an hour. DD sat with us the whole time (mostly talking about her stuff) & ds found a game to play with nearby, then hung out in the Lego room for a bit while we went downstairs to the resource centre. Will your DH be able to attend with you? I would recommend it for many reasons.

Greg basically started out by asking us how we wanted to do this...not really having an idea, we let him guide us in some things, but he was very clear that it's really flexible & if it's not working we can change it. We don't have to attend classes there at all if we don't want to or can go every other week if that works better. If you want to go to hula hoot one week & the primary program at NWHL the other, that would be fine . DS will be in the morning session now, BTW. Originally we were told it was full, but things have changed.

Are you going to the meeting on Friday at the gymnastics club? If you haven't met with your teacher yet, that should clear up a few things for you. I look forward to seeing you there if you can make it.

I think things seem very disorganized there because of the nature of the system & the people involved. Some people have very strong feelings about the way they want to homeschool & I get the feeling they are almost leaving it up to us until we specifically ask for guidance. I'm not sure what's up with the administrative side of things, other than to say everyone has been soooo nice & maybe those kinds of details are not their forte .

There really wasn't a whole lot to DS's plan: reading to him, start him sounding out words, we picked up a math workbook & we'll include him in science & socials we do with DD. I'm planning to keep a reading log & an activity log for each of them & we'll figure out later how much we need to include for their portfolios. I'll set up a file on the computer for any pictures we take along the way. That's about it for now.

HTH

[robugmum]

Yay Helen!!
It sounds like you're diving right in - it must be so exciting for you all!
:::